Journal Club: Turn Towards

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‘Turning toward’ is the theme for tonight’s journaling club in Hinterland. It’s Wednesday 1st April. To warm up, Organiser Fi allows us to choose between one of 2 10-minute exercises – the free-write prompt ‘When I meet something I am avoiding with curiosity’ or the poem ‘Turning Towards with Curiosity.’  More specifically, turning towards understanding, towards the thing that we’re avoiding. 

Next up, a 5-minute prompt: 

MY FAVOURITE THING TO AVOID IS…  

I tend to avoid difficult conversations, or at least I used to. A few times gripes would go undisclosed, out of a fear that everything would kick off. These days, not so much. I’ll have the argument if needs be. But I get no pleasure from it. A lot of the time, I’ll just think, what’s the point? Writing this, and knowing that I’m going to put it on the blog, is a prime example. There’s a guy I know who came out with a lot of racist shit in a group chat a few weeks ago. I asked another guy what he thought about it, but he wasn’t too bothered. 

The gong goes, indicating the timer. 

We discuss the idea of ‘Turning away from’ and ‘Turning towards.’ Key points: 

ACTION 

VISIBILITY 

STILLNESS 

CHANGE (CONSISTENCY) 

DISCOMFORT 

FEAR 

The next prompt, filling the gap with a word of our choice from the above: 

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M TURNING AWAY FROM ___ ? 

I chose fear.  

I find in life, and in psychology books, that a theme keeps emerging about fear and awkwardness. Any attempt to escape pain only results in more pain. Any awkwardness or difficult conversations are only going to be more awkward or difficult if they’re avoided. I do feel that fear these days. It’s not that bad, having a disagreement. Sometimes, they just aren’t the right people anyway, so that fear is pointless.

The next writing exercise: a choice of 2. 

1. Free write on the prompt: ‘When I meet something I  am avoiding with curiosity…’ 

2. A poem titled ‘Turning Towards with Curiosity.’ 

I chose the second. I don’t dabble in poetry very often these days.  

Enter their spirit, he says. 

Pay attention. Turn towards. Forget yourself. 

That knot in your stomach, the fear, the sickness, 

The inferiority complex. 

Ignore it.  

Ignore your weakened knees. 

Your pounding heart. 

You think of the advice. 

You think of the NHS sessions. 

Focus. Listen. 

Develop the tunnel vision. 

Forget the beer, your mates, 

Her mates. Absorb. 

Tune out the environment. 

Actually listen.   

The timer went at that point and marked the end of the session. 

Good group of journalers. I allowed myself to get a bit personal, which is always a challenge. After each exercise we had the opportunity to read out what we’d written, within our tables, or to the whole group, if we’re brave. 

Journal club will probably be back at the start of May. See Hinterland’s events roster for more.  

Come to the new Voyeur bar Friday

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Watched the commentary track on the Trainspotting Blu-Ray. Interesting chat from director, producer, screenwriter and cast. Every time I’ve watched this film I’ve picked up on some new detail. Also watched Apocaypse Now Redux, featuring 'Nam, marijuana, acid and a dwindling numer of still-living cast members. 

Made the most of Bank Holiday Sunday last night on a Northern Quarter bar crawl with Manchester Nightlife group (polishing off a sample bottle of Glenfiddich 12-year-old on the way). 15 people were on the list; most of them showed up. Good group of friendly people from all over the world. Everyone gelled. Started in Flok, found Wilson’s Social on the corner of Stevenson’s Square and Oldham St, took them to porn-boudoir funk club Behind Closed Doors – a real eye-opener for most – and ended in Zaytoni takeaway. 

Thursday night: GetSocial Meetup group hold a games night in Point Blank, Deansgate's virtual shooting range. I've been meaning to try it out for years. Tickets are selling fast. 6pm start!

That side of Manchester tends to attract a solid number of attendees on Meetup… So I’m going to Northern Quarter again on Friday. 

New bar Voyeur opened a few months ago, offering what it describes as ‘post-punk provisions.’ Your guess is as good as mine on that, but Manchester Nightlife be in nearby Rewind from 9pm before we try out the new place. 

Saturday night: Tyson Fury fights Arslanbek Makhmudov live on Netflix. I’m staying in. Main fight ring walk is estimated to be 11pm.

Scott Mills, Mackie Mayor, Band on the Wall

Charging into this Excess Month project with aplomb. 

Bought tickets to For the Love of Horror on the 18th. Will be meeting David Patrick Kelly of The Crow, The Warriors and Commando. It’s always a great event. There’s a meetup with Manc Mates if anyone wants to be part of a group. 

Went to the Journaling group at Hinterland on Wednesday. Writing that up at the moment. 

Polished off the Moscatel, Flagship and STR finish versions of Filey Bay, a little sample bottle set of single malts. I also downed the Famous Grouse sample I got in a work Secret Santa a while back and a Jagermeister sample probably from the year before. 

You probably heard the news of Radio 2’s Scott Mills being sacked this week. What you probably did not hear was this story written in ‘22 but set in ‘03 featuring Mills, Lord of the Rings and a Welshman. 

Watched Apocalypse Now Redux, starring the recently deceased Robert Duvall, plus dope smoking GIs and trippy visuals. To put Ying to Yang, I then endured Jingle All the Way, a film about excessive commercialism, featuring bad acting, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jake Lloyd, the kid who played Darth Vader in Episode One The Force Awakens. Dreadful. 

Ran a meetup last night to Mackie Mayor, Manchester’s hipster food court. Great group of new people. I think I’d met one guy before. Everyone got on, first meeting in Stray bar on the corner. We then found a corner upstairs in Mackies, got tasty food from a few different vendors and chatted. I got the steak frites from Tender Cow. Well recommended. 

Found Band on the Wall, a live music venue that I’ve been meaning to go to for decades. The Henry Revue Band took to the stage, covering some pop hits in impressive folk style. They don’t seem to have much online presence. Bassist looked like the UFC’s Arnold Allen.

 

Whole night went well. We got a group chat together on WhatsApp. Hope I see them again. Finished early enough to get the tram back. Now for Northern Quarter tonight…

The Laws of Human Nature

 

 

Author Robert Greene’s biggest book is The Laws of Human Nature, a 2018 investigation into human behaviour and the most effective way to handle the different people in your life. I started reading this 600-page beast in May last year and finished in March. I read a big chunk of it in a week on holiday, the first few chapters in Manchester airport waiting for a delayed flight. I’ve dipped in and out of it since then. 

In the above video, Greene summarises the book: people are who they are. There’s no point trying to change them, but you can change how you handle them. Since the book came out, we’ve had a worldwide pandemic and subsequent vaccine rollout, a British change of government, 2 American political switch-ups, the Nova Festival attack and the genocide on Gaza. There have been a range of reasons for people to argue and, in some cases, fall out and never speak again. It’s been a frustrating few years, but again… people are who they are. 

It’s fitting that just as the book came out, the challenge of understanding human nature – people’s emotions, their pride and ego – became a steeper hill to climb. 

There’s an interesting passage on causes and cults: people banding together for one purpose or another. As I was reading it, I realised its descriptions were eerily similar to something I’d already experienced. In cults, people begin to act the same way as each other, then almost rub each other up the wrong way by being so similar. Alternately, people who are too different then try to fit a figurative square peg into a round hole by forming unworkable friendships through this group setting. This was exactly what I’d seen in certain men’s support groups in Greater Manchester – lonely, isolated people across the full spectrum of life, different backgrounds, incomes, IQs, EQs, all trying to connect, largely failing, but then allowing that environment of the men’s talking sessions to take over their whole lives and having very few meaningful interactions with anyone outside of the group. 

The book is full of valid advice, but there are some brow-furrowing moments. I don’t think Greene understands depression entirely, and this is surprising considering he’s had a stroke from which he recovered. I expect that would have impacted on his mental health. He also compares fictional biblical dreamer Joseph to historical philosopher Socrates. Separately, there’s a grammar error on p159. 

As much as Greene’s books are well-written, there’s an over-arching criticism to be made about all of them: he’s a researcher by trade. An author. He’s been in publishing since his 20s. He’s not a psychologist or sociologist. Nor has he credited anyone who is, who would have lent some authority to the text. 

Human nature is such a broad subject and the book is so lengthy that despite my interest in the subject I’m left wondering, what exactly was the intention of the book?

Excess Month 2026

 

Years ago, in one autumn, I devised a little 2-month, 2-part project on the theme of excess. The first part involved reading books and watching films in which people indulged in drink, drugs and sex to excess. The second part involved attempting to replicate that scenario myself. As you can see, I failed somewhat. I did, however, stay busy, and had plenty to blog about. I did this in conjunction with National Blog Posting Month, or NaBloPoMo. This challenge was to blog every day for a month. I managed 30 posts in 30 days. I’ve done similar projects over the years. 

This time, the aim isn’t to blog every day but it is to fill the month with as much activity as possible: gym classes, skipping, films about partying or crime, supermarket herb highs, illicit drugs, plus I’ll be reading books on such subjects. Furthermore, I have a cupboard full of alcohol bottles and very little space inside it. It’d be great to polish off a few to allow for some new ones. Lots of fruit to combat the inevitable hangovers. I’ll try and fit in a few more meetups, look for events that might make good blog posts – protests, demos, launches etc. I might even dare myself to try some conventions further afield, comic cons that would require a hotel. I’ve never done that before. 

There is a strong likelihood that I will pass the 2 million blog hit mark inside the month. I'm currently at:

Overall blog hits: 1,924,045

Last month: 180,436

Yesterday: 2,319 

Why? 

Life is short. There’s so much I’ve wanted to do that I never managed. I’m 43. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I’ve robbed myself of so many opportunities. I don’t want that to happen again. 

Carpe diem and all that.

Get involved this Easter Weekend - Manchester

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Here it comes. Easter weekend bank holiday. Lots of plans on the horizon. No need to stay in! 

Wednesday night: Journaling club returns to Hinterland for their monthly writing night. 7pm. Free tickets. Free writing, poetry, prompts, a chance to express yourself and a great vegan alcohol-free menu. There’s a meetup with Manc Mates, which I’m hoping will open out Hinterland’s events to a new audience. 

Last week I got food in refurbished Victorian hall Mackie Mayor, now a hipster food court with independent businesses. I’ve ran meetups there before that went down well, so figured it’d be great to bring this back. Manchester Nightlife will be there from 7pm Saturday, meeting in the Stray bar on the corner. Come join! 

Sunday night: last minute decision here, but how about a Stevenson Square bar crawl? Some great quirky bars, all close together, and is a night that has been popular before. Maybe wear a raincoat. Flok from 8. 

Expect a new monthly project soon involving alcohol, meetups, books, blogging and I guess some expenditure.

Alcohol at last.

After a month of bodybuilding, I met up with a couple of mates and got drinks.

First alcohol in a month. Stray bar. Oh Deer. Too sour for me. Taiko ramen lamb tantamen in Mackie Mayor's. Great. Thai fighter in Posie, new bar in the financial district. Bean flavoured. Original.

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— Matt Tuckey 🇬🇧 (@matttuckey.bsky.social) 29 March 2026 at 12:27

Started in Stray bar in Mackie Mayor, got food, found the new Posie bar, which had an almost Moroccan vibe. Had a bizarre bean-flavoured cocktail. Barman looked like Oscar Isaac off Ex Machina. Went on to Lawn Club in Spinningfields. 00s era house music and a Coral Club cocktail. Missed my last bus. Oh well. 

Also this week I passed the 1.9 million hit mark on this blog. Experiencing an absurd and inexplicable surge of page views.